When Will Landscape Artist Of The Year Return?

It may be gloomy outside, but our TV screens are about to be lit up once more with sunny scenes and painted masterpieces thanks to Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year. Now in its tenth series and tenth year, here’s everything we know so far – plus when it will be on TV.

Landscape Artist Of The Year Series 10: What To Expect

Landscape Artist Of The Year series 10. (© Sky UK Limited/Chris Lobina)

What Is It?

In case you are not yet acquainted with this wholesome competition series, Landscape Artist of the Year is an annual British painting contest scouring the nation for the very best landscape artists. It’s a sister series to Sky’s popular Portrait Artist of the Year, which airs every autumn-winter.

Taking place over a series of heats across the UK, in Landscape Artist of the Year, eight artists per episode are tasked with painting the landscape before them in a medium of their choice within four hours. ‘It’s a very lovely way of watching paint dry!’ explains judge Kate Bryan. ‘We find amazing artists who apply to be on the show, and then we take them to extraordinary landscapes, and they have to render that landscape in a day. Then we have the very difficult job of deciding who did the best job on that day, and then put them through their paces again in a semi-final.’

Meanwhile, in each heat, 50 ‘wildcard’ entrants join in on the painting – all amateur artists who haven’t made the contestant list. Each heat, the judges nominate a wildcard painter to progress to the semi-final, totalling six by the end of the heats. These six wildcards are then whittled down to only one wildcard ahead of the semi-final.

What Does The Winner Receive?

Each series, the winner of Landscape Artist of the Year is awarded £10,000 and a priceless commission to paint a landscape for a prestigious gallery. In 2025, the commission comes from London’s Courtauld Gallery, which wants a painting of a landscape in the south of France.

‘We are proud to mark a decade of Landscape Artist of the Year, a programme that has unearthed and supported countless talented artists, with a commission from the Courtauld gallery,’ shares Danielle Graham from production company Storyvault Films. ‘The winner of the tenth series will have their work exhibited alongside the jewels in the Courtauld’s collection – paintings by Monet, Manet and Van Gogh – which feels like a fitting way to mark our ten years on the air.’

(© Sky UK Limited/Chris Lobina)

Where Are The Heats?

Every series, picturesque British scenery is carefully selected to inspire the Landscape Artist of the Year contestants. The series 10 locations include Llanberis Lake at the base of Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon), Bristol’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, the grounds of Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, and the newly redeveloped St. Pancras Basin. The semi-final, meanwhile, will take place at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, while the final will task the three remaining artists to paint one of Britain’s most iconic landmarks, Stonehenge.

‘As we celebrate the 10th series of Landscape Artist of the Year, we continue to honour the extraordinary beauty of the British landscape and the incredible skills of the artists who participate,’ says executive director Phil Edgar-Jones. ‘This milestone series also features an exciting addition: a commission in the South of France for the winner, offering an unforgettable opportunity to showcase their talent on an international stage.’

Who Are The Judges?

Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano and Kate Bryan will all return to judge Landscape Artist of the Year series 10, assessing the artists’ progress and choosing who will advance to the semi-final. ‘You know, we’re not really looking for the painting that we want to have on our wall at home,’ Kate explains. ‘We’re genuinely asking who rose to the challenge on that given day, whether it was torrential rain, whether their canvas blew away, whether they never painted a building before – whatever the circumstances. And that might not be your favourite artist. There might be an artist that morning that you thought was fabulous, and you’d really love to see what they were doing for the rest of their career. But they might not win that day because they might not do the best job.’

They are joined by host Stephen Mangan.

Read all about what else Kate considers when judging the artists here.

(© Sky UK Limited/Chris Lobina)

When Is Landscape Artist Of The Year Back On TV?

Landscape Artist of the Year will return for series 10 on Wednesday 22 January 2025, airing on Sky Arts before being available to stream on NOW. Episodes will then air weekly on Wednesday evenings.

Landscape Artist Of The Year Series 10 Release Schedule

• Episode 1: Wednesday 22 January
• Episode 2: Wednesday 29 January
• Episode 3: Wednesday 5 February
• Episode 4: Wednesday 12 February
• Episode 5: Wednesday 19 February
• Episode 6: Wednesday 26 February
• Episode 7 – Semi-Final: Wednesday 5 March
• Episode 8 – Final: Wednesday 12 March
• Episode 9 – Winner’s Film: Wednesday 19 March

How To Enter

Fancy yourself one of the nation’s best landscape artists? Entries are now open for series 11. The deadline to apply is noon on Friday 2 May 2025. See all the details at skyartsartistoftheyear.tv